Exactly, Microsoft knows this very well. Consumers aren't "stuck in their ways" or "old fashioned" otherwise Apple's biggest problem wouldn't be where to store their endless bundles of cash. Consumers are willing to try and embrace new when it brings tangible benefits to the table for them.

The risks are so high with Windows 8 for them that I feel they just overshot and if this thing goes the way all of their latest shots have went they have a major problem on their hands. They are stoking the coals with developers that mobile is very important, but run the risk of those developers jumping for the existing successful platforms instead. This is why I feel they severely screwed up with Windows 8 in some major and fundamental ways. They are only bringing one real carrot to the table here. They are bringing millions of Windows desktop users to the table for a strong incentive for the developers, but they failed to bring something for the consumers.

Microsoft really needs to break the ecosystem pull of Apple and Google for users. Since Microsoft was willing to radically rethink the PC their primary focus should have been building a strong ecosystem. As it stands now, they have two separate "Stores" with one for Windows 8 Desktop & Tablet and another for Windows Phone. They have a phone which can't sync music with the PC properly. They have a PC littered with "charms" and they failed to deliver any solid vision for developers to be inspired by on how to use it.

It will be hard to pull users from iOS when they have spent thousands on apps, docks, speaker sets, etc... The same is true for Android, at least for apps.

To be honest, the **** poor release by Microsoft shows either arrogance or desperation and I'm not sure which is worse for them at this stage.

It may have been a smarter choice for them to release Windows 8 in a year or two from now when they could have ironed this out, but we're here now.

The problem is that waiting was not an option for the very reason you pointed out.

There is an impatience being shown - egged on by the punditocracy that loves anything not Microsoft.

Microsoft - plain and simply - did not have the extra time.

Google got away with it because they had NO legacy infrastructure. Apple, compared to Microsoft, is a niche.

As I've been posting for the past several months, the rise of devices caught Microsoft flat-footed.

If Microsoft waited, they risked not being able to counter that rise at all (the user base would be too ingrained in Android and iOS for Microsoft to make ANY inroads).

We as tech users and developers know it; we aren't stupid.

However, that means that if we want to do something about it, we have to accept a change in what Windows itself is and what it is about.

THAT is where we're balking.

Windows has been where it is for almost two decades - a desktop and workstation-focussed OS - its own niche. (It's a rather LARGE niche; however, it's still a niche.)

We, as users, have balked at any and every attempt to expand Windows out of that box we've caged it in. (The only thing that has succeeded is Azure.)

Look at any and every attempt Microsoft has made to expand Windows out of the "computing" niche - other than Azure (which succeeded by being obscure), we as users have done our darndest to force Windows back into the box.

Even though we're quite aware that unless Windows breaks OUT of that box, devices will encroach and start eating its lunch, we're still trying to keep Windows (and thus Microsoft) in that cage.